Loop-retainer for sewing-machines.



' R. B.THOMPSON.

LOOP RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHlNha.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.25.'|914.

1,244,921. Patented Oct. 30,1917.

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III B. THOMPSON.

v LOOP RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25. I914.

1,244,921. I Patented Oct. 30,1917.

, SHEETS-SHEET 2. Wm 52 7 YD 15 Fi .6? 20 P I I J5 g5 19, 9 +4 g 5 nuewlioz f" I W1 630m REUBEN BALL THOMPSON, OF COHOES, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed August 25, 1914. Serial No. 858,427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN BALL THOMP- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany, State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loop-Retainers forSewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of referencemarked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in loop retainersfor sewing machines and more particularly to a loop retainer which isused in connection with a multiple needle machine wherein a singlelooper cooperates with all the needles.

An object of the invention is to provide a loop retainer for the needleloops of a multiple needle machine, which loopv retainer projectsbetween the needle loops on the looper and holds said loops separated soas to insure'the needles passing in advance of the respective loops-thatis, between the respective loops and the eye of the looper-and thusprevent the malformation of stitches.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loop retainer of theabove character which is so constructed that the same moveslaterally'with the looper but is held from longitudinal movement withthe looper so as to maintain a proper position of the loop retainerrelative to the needle.

[A still-further object of theinvention is to provide a carrier for aloop retainer of the abdve character, which carrier is also providedwith a'needle deflector or guard which holds the needles in alinement soas to insure the looper entering each of the needle loops.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show illustration one embodiment of tion:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a portion of the machinehaving my improvements ap lied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a p an view of the forward end by way of t e invenof the worksupport with the cap plate removed and the looper at the forward end ofits stroke.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4f; of Fig. 2 with the looperretracted.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail in side elevation showing the needle guard inengagement with the needles as the 'looper is entering the needle loops.

Fig. 7 is a detail showing more or less diagrammatically in plan viewthe loop retainer separating the needle loops as the needles movedownward.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the same, the retainer being in section.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the looper thread and the manner oflocking the same to the needle loops.

As shown in the drawings, the invention has been applied to athree-needle machine in which the feed of the material is lengthwise ofa cylindrical bed plate. The cylindrical bed plate is indicated at 1 inF1 1 of the drawing and directly above thisied plate is an overhangingarm 2 in which reciprocates a needle bar 3. The needle bar 3 isreciprocated by a needle lever 4 which is connected tothe needle bar bya link 5.

At the lower end of the needle bar there are three needles, 6, 7 and 8.These needles are set abreast. At the end of the cylindrical bed plate 1is a feed dog 9 which is carried by a feed bar 10. This feed dog is sopositioned and operated as to feed the material up the arm of themachine in a manner well knownin this art.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the bed plate is a looper support 11.This looper support has a looper carrier 12 mounted on the outer endthereof, and a 100 er 13 has its supporting shank 14 extending into asocket in the looper carrier 12 and is clam ed therein by a suitable setscrew 15. e looper support 11, as is usual in this type of machine, hasan oscillating movement and also an endwise movement. As above noted,the needles are set abreast or in a plane at right angles to the line offeed and the looper 13 which is a thread carrying looper coiiperateswith each of the needles. The points of the needles are preferably setone a little higher than the other so that the lowest needle is farthestfrom thelooper when said looper is withdrawn from the needle loops. Thisis for the purpose of properly timing the needles which are all mountedand operated by the same needle bar so as to insure 'the looper enteringwith certainty into each needle loop.

The material is fed up the arm by the feed dog 9 and at each stitch theneedles move through the material and rising each throws out itsneedle'loop, which loops are entered one after the other by the threadedlooper 13. The looper is moved longitudinally into the needle loops.After the looper reaches the forward end of its stroke and the needleshave risen above the top of the looper, the looper is then movedlaterally by an endwise move mentof the looper support 11 and thislateral movement of the looper, which is known in the art as the needleavoiding movement, positions the looper and the needle loops so that theneedles on the next descent will pass between the respective needle,loops on. the looper.- That is to say, the extreme right hand needle,as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5,'will pass to the right of the previous loopof the needle 8 and between the looper thread and the body of thelooper. The middle needle, indicated at 7, will pass between theprevious needle loops of the needles 7 and 8, while the needle indicatedat 6, or the left hand needle, will pass between the needle loops of theneedles 6 and 7.

In Fig. 9 of the drawing, the looper thread is indicated at 13*. Theneedle loops are indicated at 6, 7 and 8, respectively. On the nextdescent of the needles, the needle loops are indicated at 6, 7" and .8,respectively, while the looper loop is indicated at 13 It is thoughtthat the formation of the three needle stitch with the single threadedlooper will be clear from the above description.

In order that the stitch may be properly made, it is essential that theneedles as they descend shall pass the-needle loops in the manner abovedescribed. The feed of the fabric isin a direction" at right angles tothemovement of the looper as it enters the needle loop. As a resultwhenthe looper is retracted there is a tendency to drag the needle loopslaterally and cause .the needles to pass on the wrong side of theprevious needle loops. The main purpose of the present invention is toprovide a loop retainer which positively retains the needle loops on thelooper so as to insure the needles properly passing by said needleloops.

The looper retainer as indicated at 16 consists of a plate which isprovided with projecting fingers 17 and 18. The plate 16 is mounted on aretainer carrier 19. This retainer carrier 19 is formed with a sleeve 20which slips on to an extension 21 of the looper carrier 12. A headedscrew 22 is threaded into this extension and holds the sleeve on theextension, preventing endwise movement thereof relative to the support,

but permitting-the extension to rock freely within the sleeve. Theretainer carrier extends laterally from its supporting sleeve 20 andsupports a sleeve 23 which engages a pin 24 fixed to the bed plate. Thissleeve 23 is adapted to slide back and forth freely on the pin 24. Thelooper carrier 12 as above noted, has an oscillatin movement and anendwise movement. he endwise movement of the looper carrier will causethe carrier for the retainer to be moved in a direction laterally of theplane of the needles. In other words, the loop retainer 16 will movelaterally with the looper. The oscillating movements of the loopersupport will have no effect, however, upon the loop retainer carrier forthe reason that the loop retainer is freely mounted on the loopercarrier and is held from oscillation by the engagement of the sleeve 23with the pin 24:. The loop retainer 16 is slotted as at 25 and a screw26 extending through the slot clamps the same to the loop retainercarrier 19. This permits the loop retainer to be adjusted vertically.Also mounted on the loop retainer carrier is a second plate 27 which isclamped thereto by a screw 28. The outer end of this plate is bent so asto extend in a direction parallel with the needles, thus forming aneedle guard or deflector 28'. As the looper moves laterally to aposition for entering the needle loops, the deflector 28 will be broughtup against the opposite face of the needles, which will line up theneedles so that the looper will with certainty enter all of the needleloops. The fingers 17 and 18 of the loop retainerl6 extend between. thepaths of the needles.

These fingers are projected more or less across the plane of the needlesas the looper moves laterally but always extend across the plane of theneedles.

When the looper reaches the forward end of its stroke, it has enteredeach of the needle loops and as the needles rise the looper is movedlaterally to the opposite side of the path of the needles and thiscarries the loop retainer fingers 17 and 18 farther across the lane ,ofthe needles. The feed of the fabrlc takes place and on the next descentof the needles the previous needle loops on the looper will be heldseparated by these fingers 17 and 18 so as to insure the needlesproperly passing the needle loops.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have shown the fingers of the loop retaineras accomplishing this function. In this figure the looper 13 is at theforward end of its stroke; the needle loops 6, 7 and 8 are about thelooper and extend to the previous needle punctures through the fabric.The looper thread 13 is in the form of a loop extending through each ofthe needle loops. The finger 18 is between the needle loops 7 and 8 andholds the needle loop 8 on the looper separated from the loop 7.Likewise, the finger 17 is between the needle loops 6" and 7 and holdsthese loops separated so that the needles 6, 7 and 8 properly pass theseneedle loops. By the above construction, I am able to: positively holdthe needle loops so as to prevent malformation of stitches.

Above the fabric are two thread carriers 29 and 30 which areoscillatedby links 31 which are connected to a lever 32. These thread carriersoscillate back and forth in front of the needles and join the needleloops above the material by cross loops. These thread carriers, however,form'no part of the present invention except in that they complete theseam in the making of which my loop retaineris especially useful.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction andarrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, alooper, a looper.

carrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier, and means for movingsaid looper carrier endwise for giving a needle avoiding movement to thelooper, ofa loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and cooperatingwith the looper for holding the needle loops in spaced relation so thatthe needles will properly pass said needle loops.

2. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, alooper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted, andmeans connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement'tothe looper in a plane at right angles to the line of feed and also forimparting a lateral needle avoiding movement to the looper, of a loopretainer mounted on said loopercarrier and movable with said carrierduring the lateral movements thereof, and means for holding the loopretainer from movement in a direction longitudinally of the looper.

3. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, alooper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted andmeans connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement tothe looper in a plane at right angles to the line of feed, and also forimparting a lateral needle avoiding movement to the looper, of a loopretainer mounted on said looper carrier and cotiperating with the looperfor holding the needle loops in spaced relation to insure the needlespassin downwardly in advance of said loops, an means for connecting saidloop retainer to said looper carrier so that said retainer may beadjusted vertically.

4. In combination with a plurality of needles, a feeding mechanism, alooper, a looper carrier on which said looper is fixedly mounted, andmeans connected to the carrier for imparting a lengthwise movement tothe looper in a plane at right anglesto the line of feed, and also forimparting a lateral needle-avoiding movement to the looper, of a loopretainer mounted on said looper carrier and cooperating with the looperfor holdingthe needle loops in spaced relation to insure the needlespassing downwardly in advance of said loops, said loop retainerextending above and over the looper. 5 The combination with a pluralityof needles, a looper cooperating with all of said needles, a loopercarrier, means for oscillating said looper carrier for moving the looperinto and out of the needle loops, means for/ moving said looper carrierto give the lopper a needle avoiding movement, a. loop retainer, acarrier for said loop retainer mounted on said looper carrier and movingwith the same when the looper is moved laterally, said retainer carrierhaving a sleeve projecting therefrom, and a pin mounted on the bed plateof the machine and engaging 'said sleeve, said sleeve being free to moveendwiseon the pin when the retainer carrier moves with the looper andsaid pin operating to prevent oscillations in the loop retainer carrierwhen the looper carrier oscillates, said loop retainer extending aboveand over the looper and adapted to engage a needle loop on the looperand position the same so as to insure the needle properly passing saidneedle loop.

6. The combination with a plurality of needles, a looper cooperatingwith all of said needles, a looper carrier, means for oscillating saidlooper carrier for moving the looper into and out of the needle loops,and means for moving said looper carrier to give the looper a needleavoiding movement, a loop retainer, a carrier for said loop retainermounted on said looper carrier and moving with the same when the looperis moving laterally, said retainer carrier haviing a sleeve projectingtherefrom, and a-pin mounted on the bed plate of the machine andengaging said sleeve, said sleeve being free to move endwise on the" pinwhen the retainer carrier moves with the looper and said pin operatingto prevent oscillations in the loop retainer carrier when the loopercarrier oscillates, said loop retainer extending above said looper andhaving a plurality of fingers each of which projects between a pair ofneedles and is adapted to engage a'needle loop so as to insure theneedles properly passing their respective needle loops.

7. The combination with a plurality of needles, a looper coeperatingwith all of said needles, a looper carrier, means for oscillating saidlooper carrier for moving the looper into and out of the needle loops,and means for moving said looper carrier to give the looper a needleavoidingmovement, of a loop retainer, means for supporting said loopretainer on the looper earner so that the said 100p retainer moves withthe carrier in the lateral movement of the looper, means for holdingsaid loop retainer from oscillating with the looper,said loop retainerextending above and over the looper for engaging a needle loop on thelooper and positioning the same so as insure the needle properly passingsaid needle loop, and a needle deflector mounted 15 on said loopretainer carrier for engaging and alining the needles prior to thelooper entering the needle loops. In testimony whereof, I hereby alfixmysignature in the presence of two Witnesses. 20

